Quick Thoughts About the Centurion Lounge in Miami

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On our way to Aruba, we had a 2½-hour connection in Miami. We don’t often fly through MIA, but on short notice, this was the best routing we could find. With extra time between flights, it felt like a good opportunity to check out the Centurion Lounge.

This isn’t a full-on review with photos of every corner and amenity—just some quick impressions from our visit.

Location & Arrival

The Miami Centurion Lounge isn’t new—it opened in 2015—so we were visiting right around its 10th anniversary. For a lounge of that age, it’s held up surprisingly well, without the worn-down look you sometimes see in older locations.

The lounge is located near Gate D12. I used the Amex app to get a mobile entry pass, which warned there might be a wait to get in. Sure enough, when we arrived, there was a line about five people deep, shorter than usual for Centurion Lounges these days.

I expected to be told to come back later, but the agent welcomed us in. The main area was full, but there was plenty of seating along the rotunda path—in fact, no one was sitting there at all.

We initially grabbed a spot there, but soon found an open table in the main area near the windows and moved.

If you want a deep dive with lots of photos, this recent review from One Mile at a Time is a great resource.

Food & Drink

Since we were there in the morning, breakfast was being served. I appreciate that Centurion Lounges generally offer more variety than the carb-heavy spreads you’ll find in many other lounges.

As usual, the bar was well stocked—even during breakfast—with local cocktail creations and non-alcoholic options. The zero-proof choices are a nice touch and a relatively new addition in Amex lounges.

How We Spent Our Time

After eating, we spent the rest of our visit either getting some work done or just killing time watching videos and scrolling through social media. The atmosphere was far more relaxed than the terminal—especially considering that when we later made the long walk to our gate, the area was completely packed with no seats available.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the Miami Centurion Lounge was a pleasant place to spend an hour or so between flights. Having a comfortable spot to relax, enjoy a proper breakfast before a nearly three-hour flight (instead of just a soda and cookies), and avoid the chaos of the gate area made a big difference.

The space still looks great, with stylish touches that have held up well despite being nearly 10 years old. When Centurion Lounges first opened, they were unlike anything else in airports and felt far more exclusive—partly because fewer travelers had Amex Platinum cards back then. In some ways, Amex has become a victim of its own success.

Now, competition is heating up. Both Chase and Capital One are opening their own lounges, learning from Amex’s growing pains. Airlines are also stepping up their lounge game with impressive new spaces at their hubs. In Miami specifically, American plans to build a brand-new Flagship Lounge while converting the existing 2017 Flagship Lounge into part of an expanded Admirals Club space. Travelers passing through MIA will soon have even more options for where to relax before a flight.

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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary